1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for controlling wireless appliances, a home network system and a mobile terminal capable of carrying out the method, and more particularly to a method for controlling home appliances using a short message service, a home network system and a mobile terminal for carrying out the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, home automation (HA) systems automatically control various electric or electronic home appliances utilizing electronic technologies. The home automation systems enhance comfort and convenience for subscribers. For example, the systems make life easier and more enjoyable by automatically adjusting the lighting in a room and providing wireless remote control of various home appliances. Using a home automation system, subscribers can control various functions and appliances in their home even when they are away from home. Subscribers can also monitor and prevent any gas leakage, fire or home invasion while away from home.
In such a home automation or home network system, subscribers generally remotely control wireless devices in their homes via a wireless Internet (WAP, Wireless Application Protocol) or a short message service (SMS). The WAP based control is a technique for controlling home appliances using a preset menu in a mobile terminal. The SMS based control is a technique that allows a user to control each home appliance by directly inputting a corresponding control signal in text.
To control home appliances using WAP, a user has to access WAP services for authentication and operate a mobile terminal to select an appliance to be controlled. Such WAP access and authentication procedures are required even for a simple control of a home appliance, which is time-consuming and incurs wireless data communication fees. In addition, since a WAP server is needed to store a control menu, the WAP based control can be implemented only in a large housing complex.
To overcome the drawbacks of the WAP based control, a method for controlling home appliances using an SMS has been proposed. In this method, a user has to directly input control values corresponding to the respective appliances in a short message.
More specifically, the user has to select one of the home appliances and directly input a control value corresponding to the feature of the selected appliance in order to transfer a control signal to the appliance. In this connection, the user should memorize control values representing the respective home appliances and values for controlling the status of each appliance or write down such values on paper to input them in a short message. It is difficult to memorize all the control values unique to a number of home appliances and input each value correctly. Even after controlling a specific appliance using a short message, the user is not informed of the changed status of the controlled appliance. Thus, the user cannot immediately confirm whether the appliance was properly controlled.